


Realities

by starryeyedchar



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Injury, Canon Compliant, Canon-Typical Violence, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Major Character Injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-07
Updated: 2017-11-07
Packaged: 2019-01-30 21:04:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12661374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedchar/pseuds/starryeyedchar
Summary: After traveling to a different reality, Keith wants to ask Slav about it, as the whole concept confuses him. What he finds out, however, is far from what he wanted to hear. Apparently, there are a lot of realities in which things don’t end too well, particularly for Lance.That is to say, there are a lot of realities in which Lance dies.And Keith desperately wants to make sure that this isn't one of them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a celebratory fic, as I've recently reached 2K followers on tumblr! Thank you, and I hope you enjoy this Keith-centric, canonverse, klangst.
> 
> First part set after episode four of season three, and the second part is post-season four. So just keep that in mind.

Keith wasn't sure how the others could stand it. Ever since they'd returned from the alternate reality, thoughts of it had been plaguing his mind. He even found himself pondering it more than where Shiro might've gone.

But then again, the Shiro of the _other_ reality didn't so much as recognize Keith. In fact, he was an entirely different person. The outcome of the war had a butterfly effect, and the two timelines were so drastically different that it made his head spin.

He almost understood why Slav was so crazy, and unable to talk about anything else. If Keith knew every possible outcome of every situation and what said outcomes could lead to, he was sure he'd have gone insane, genius or no.

He'd resolved to discuss the topic with Slav, and told the team as much at breakfast one morning.

Lance nearly choked on his food goo. “You want to do _what_?!”

“I feel like talking to Slav will give me a better understanding of alternate realities,” Keith said. “Come on, after today you guys have got to be as curious as I am, right?”

Lance shook his head. “Absolutely not. That guy's insane! If you find out all the possibilities you're going to be just as paranoid as him! Then who would make the reckless decisions around here?”

Pidge raised an eyebrow. “Still you, Lance.”

“Okay, but Slav is still crazy! He's the reason why my fear of airlocks keeps returning to haunt me!” Lance looked around at the rest of his team for support. “Every time an airlock is involved, I nearly die! He's got it out for me!”

“Lance, you nearly die all the time just fine on your own,” Pidge told him. “You don't need anyone's help on that matter.”

“I don't know, maybe someone talking to Slav is a good idea,” Hunk said. “Have _any_ of you been to talk to him since the fight with Zarkon? He's going to be here until we take a wormhole to his planet, and I bring him food sometimes...”

“I go to ask him about our strategies for missions occasionally,” Allura spoke up. “Though he's usually not much help.”

“You can talk to him as much as you want, Keith, but it'll probably just stress you out more. Why don't you just do what I do? Go with the flow! Whatever is going to happen will happen,” Lance said, with a smile. “No point trying to fight against fate.”

“Not everyone is as easy going as you, Lance,” Allura pointed out.

Pidge smirked. “Yeah, we can't all be idiots.”

Lance shot her a glare and opened his mouth to say something else, but Keith was already standing from the table.

“I still think it'll be worth it to at least _talk_ to him.”

It was this mindset that brought Keith to Slav's room immediately after this. He hadn't really seen the alien around much after Shiro's disappearance, as he preferred to keep to himself while living in the castle. And as difficult as holding a conversation with him could be... if Keith was supposed to be the leader now, he thought it necessary that he ask.

When the door opened, Slav didn't even turn to look at him before speaking. “I was wondering how long it would take for you to visit me. In the vast majority of realities where you and the other paladins end up traveling _across_ realities, we have this discussion.”

Slav turned around then, and Keith was momentarily taken aback. The alien was usually extremely overexcited to talk about all the probabilities of occurrences, but he regarded Keith with sad, weary eyes.

If Slav _knew_ this conversation was coming... had he been dreading it? Why?

Keith shook his head to clear it. Whatever the case may be, he'd made it this far, and he wasn't going to back down until he gained a better understanding of this reality business. If Lotor knew all about it, they had to be prepared for anything.

“How... how different are the realities?” Keith finally asked. “In the other world, Alteans won the fight against the Galra, and took control of the universe. Nearly _everything_ changed.”

Slav sighed. “A new reality is created for every possible outcome. It can be huge, like the victors in a war, or something as small as what you decided to eat for breakfast this morning.”

Keith looked at his feet, not sure if he wanted to ask. In the other reality, Shiro — or Sven, he supposed — didn't even _recognize_ him. How could it be that under different circumstances, he and Keith may never had met?

Shiro was the _only_ person he'd been able to count on. Without him, Keith never would've been able to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot at the Garrison.

And if he'd never gone to the Garrison, he never would've met anyone else on their team. He never would've met...

“Does...” the question was on the tip of Keith's tongue, but he couldn't ask it. He didn't _want_ to know how many worlds there were in which Shiro and the others had never crossed his path. “Does that mean there are realities in which Shiro never disappears?”

Slav looked like he _definitely_ didn't want to answer that. “Yes,” he said finally. “But only under drastically different circumstances.”

“What do you mean, 'different circumstances?'” he asked. Slav hesitated. “I want to know.”

“There are some realities in which you piloted the Black Lion from the beginning, with your friend Lance in Red, and Shiro in Blue. Not the majority, but some. Shiro's disappearance was due to him not being the true black paladin. It... it was _always_ meant to be you.”

_No_.

“I don't understand.”

“Well, in this reality at least. Anything is possible,” Slav reminded him. The alien was clearly becoming invested. “There are realities in which Zarkon never betrayed the others, and remained the black paladin until his natural death. There are realities in which Shiro remains the black paladin, or even one of your other teammates takes up the role. But... in the overwhelming majority of realities in which your team are the Voltron paladins, you pilot the Black Lion.”

“But... if it's possible that Shiro remains the black paladin, then... isn't it possible that he could've stayed in Black after we won the battle?” Keith asked. “He'd still be the leader.”

Slav shook his head. “You misunderstand. I said before, you'd need drastically different circumstances, and winning the battle as you did his disappearance was unavoidable. Unless something equally bad or even worse were to happen. Believe me when I say that this is the best outcome you could hope for.”

Keith crossed his arms. “I don't see how this could be any _worse_.”

“You are all so young,” Slav said sadly. He averted his eyes from Keith's angry glare, opting to organize materials on his desk. “But you forget that you're fighting a war. Wherever Shiro is, you have no reason to believe that he's in danger. But you've already seen your teammates get injured multiple times. Would that really be preferable to you?”

“Well, at least they're still _here_.”

“Not always.” Slav muttered this under his breath, while absentmindedly cleaning.

Keith still heard him, and his head snapped up. “ _What_?”

Slav glanced up at him, eyes widening. “Oh...  um... I just meant that—”

“Slav,” Keith spoke through gritted teeth. “What do you mean, 'not always'? Do they... are there realities where someone _dies_?”

Slav didn't answer right away. His shoulders slumped. “Yes,” he finally said.

Keith wanted to punch him, even though he knew the alien wasn't to blame. He knew that he'd come there wanting to have this conversation and yet... and yet...

He'd lost too many people already. Now, even Shiro. The thought of losing another one of the teammates that he'd come to see as family... he couldn't take it.

“How?”

“You've all already been injured plenty of times,” Slav told him. “I said before, a new reality is created every time there's a different possible outcome. There are plenty of realities where those injuries were fatal... where someone couldn't be saved.”

Image after image flashed through Keith's mind then. He hadn't thought about it much until then, just how close they came to death sometimes. Keith wasn't one to dwell on close calls, or think about everything that could've gone wrong. He moved forward.

But now... now Keith was thinking about every situation in which he'd been scared out of his mind, a feeling he'd pushed back and buried as soon as his teammates were out of danger. Thinking about how, in another time and world, Keith had another broken family.

But more than that, his mind zeroed in on the _recurring_ image. Lance.

Keith hadn't given much thought to how often the current red paladin got injured before. But now...

Lance, in an open air lock and screaming for help, holding on desperately so he wouldn't suffocate in space.

Lance, bruised and beaten at the hands of Sendak, smiling at Keith even though he'd taken all the force of a bomb.

Hell, on the mission in the other reality Lance had nearly gotten shot in the head. A blast like that... it would've killed him.

And those were just the times Keith _knew_ about. Did Lance get himself into as much danger when he was on missions with the others?

He had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Keith had begun to see a pattern, one he wasn't sure how he hadn't noticed before. And he didn't like it.

“Who?” The word was barely a whisper. Slav stared up at him in confusion.

“You've all had close calls. There are different timelines in which different members of your team are hurt badly or—”

Keith seized the front of Slav's shirt, pulling him forward by the collar. “ _Who_?”

Slav gulped. “I-In... in the ma-majority of... of realities where someone... one of y-you dies it's... it's the... well, it's Lance.”

And there it was.

Lance was full of himself. Selfish, arrogant, and often times a bit of an idiot. Not to mention he treated the whole thing like it was a joke half the time.

But... but the _true_ Lance was someone brave. Daring. Focused. More clever and strategic than anyone gave him credit for.

And he'd put the lives of his friends before his own in a heartbeat.

Lance _had_ done so, countless times.

Keith felt his eyes sting, but he refused to let the tears fall. “Is he... does he... does anything happen to him in _this_ reality?”

Slav was still refusing to look at him. “I believe this is the reality where everything works out fine for your team but I... I can't promise anything. I won't truly know the probabilities of all that could happen until the moment. For now all I know is... his chances they... they're not very good.”

Keith let go of Slav's collar immediately, squeezing his eyes shut. He let out a slow breath before he trusted himself to speak. “Thank you,” he whispered, as he walked out the door.

* * *

Keith wasn't sure where he was headed. He didn't have the energy to go train, but he didn't want to eat, and he _definitely_ didn't need to see the others. Maybe he should just retreat back to his room.

He bumped into someone who was running around the corner. Keith took a step back, and met the deep blue eyes of Lance.

He gave him that bright, infectious grin of his, and held up the object in his hands. “Hey, Keith. Sorry about that, I'm confiscating Pidge's laptop until she eats something. Group effort with Hunk. He makes the food, I hide the tech.”

Keith blinked. In what world did Lance apologize for bumping into him, instead of grumbling an irritated 'Watch where you're going!'

Lance's smile disappeared as he stared at Keith. “Hey, man... are you okay?”

Keith forced a weak smile, forced the tears back. “Yeah, I'm... I'm fine. My head's just reeling from talking to Slav.”

Lance snorted. “Sounds about right. Head into the kitchen, I'm sure Hunk can fix something up for you, too. I'll be there in a minute, just—”

“LANCE!” Pidge shouted from down the hall. “WHERE ARE YOU, YOU QUIZNAK?”

Lance winced, before casting Keith another quick smile. “Just gotta hide this, first,” he finished, gesturing at the laptop again. “Think that's my cue. See you later, Samurai!”

Keith stared after him before continuing on his way. He didn't go to the kitchen with Hunk and Pidge. He went straight to his room.

And for the first time in a while, Keith let himself cry.

* * *

Later that night, Keith returned to Slav's room. He didn't bother knocking, just barged right in and fixed him with a glare.

“You're wrong,” Keith said, bluntly.

Slav raised an eyebrow. “Wha—?”

“Lance _isn't_ going to die,” Keith continued, as if he hadn't spoken. “There's absolutely zero chance that he will. Because I'm not going to let that happen. Not in any reality, not if I can help it.” didn't wait for a response, just turned and stormed back out the door.

Keith passed Lance in the hall again, who had the nerve to stick his tongue out at him.

“You blew us off earlier,” Lance said. “Think you're too good to hang out with the rest of your team, oh fearless leader?”

“I just... sorry, but if you want to do that now, we... uh, we can?”

Lance grinned. That same blinding, brilliant smile that made something in Keith's heart just float and _fall_ all at once. He slung an arm across Keith's shoulders.

And he was falling harder than ever.

“I _knew_ you'd come around,” Lance declared. “Can't brood in your room forever, can you, Mullet? Must get boring even for someone as emo as you—”

“Hey!”

“—but _anyway_ , you're just in time. Hunk and Coran are about to make dinner, and I need a partner for videogames.”

Lance continued to chatter aimlessly and they walked down the hall, and Keith had never been more sure of anything in his entire life.

Maybe Keith was the black paladin now. And maybe he had to lead his team in saving the entire universe.

So to hell with probabilities and realities, because Keith was going to save Lance, too.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, this part is set after season four. Happy (or not so happy, depending on how you look at it) reading!

Keith was just coming back from a mission with the Blade of Marmora when it happened.

He wasn't willing to admit how big a part that conversation he'd had with Lance after Shiro returned had played in his decision to start drawing away from Voltron and toward the Blade. In his mind, it was simple. _This_ was the way things would work themselves out. They could form Voltron without him, they didn't need him, and this way Keith could maybe find out more about his past...

What did it matter whether or not his heart was in it?

The way Keith saw it, Lance was right, but not about everything. There were six paladins and five lions— someone was going to have to step down. But unlike Lance, Keith knew who the truly replaceable one was.

Him.

Sure, he was a good pilot, but they'd all connected with their lions so much at this point that that was hardly relevant. He was too reckless, too impulsive to be a part of something as big as Voltron, and he knew that. He took too many risks to be responsible for the lives of other people as well as his own.

Keith took comfort in the fact that he'd still be important in the fight against the Galra Empire. He was the only paladin with multiple options like that, and he was never planning to altogether give up.

He could do what he wanted this way. Act by himself, make his own decisions, focus on missions. After all, that _was_ what he'd wanted as a paladin... wasn't it?

So yes, if someone had to leave Voltron, it should be Keith.

Because if it wasn't Keith, it would be Allura, who'd been so excited to bond with a lion. Who he knew had grown incredibly attached to Blue, who saw the bond as a connection to everything and everyone she'd lost, as a way to fight for what they'd believed in, and keep that belief alive.

Or it would be Shiro, who Keith knew to well to be fooled. Who Keith had caught sneaking into Black's hangar multiple times, who so badly wanted back the part of him he'd lost. Keith knew what a paladin bond felt like, and he would've missed it, too.

Hell, he _did_ miss it.

But Shiro was always a better leader. He was someone the others could follow safely, without hesitation, someone they could always trust and rely on. Someone who would protect them.

Keith had been prepared to do his best at that without him around, but now that Shiro was back... Keith didn't trust the job to himself anymore, not with how recklessly he'd led them into danger multiple times. The team was better off in Shiro's hands.

The discussion with Slav had played a pretty big role in Keith's decision, too.

And if not Shiro or Allura, then it'd be Lance. Lance, who had already practically told Keith that he thought himself to be the weakest link. Who was probably just as good of a pilot as him, though Keith would never admit it. Who had a mind for strategy and negotiations, an eye for sharpshooting, and a smile for boosting morale. A natural talent for lightening the load for.... everyone but himself. Even Keith.

Who Keith had to keep safe. _Safe_ meant in a lion, meant protected by Voltron.

Or that's what he'd thought.

Keith let himself into the infirmary, intending to get a bandage for the small injury he'd gotten during a solo intel mission for the Blade. Nothing major, or pod-worthy.

He hadn't expected to see anyone. The team was on an infiltration mission of their own, splitting up to cover a heavily guarded base. They weren't supposed to be back for hours.

Keith knew something was wrong the second he opened the door.

There was noise, voices loud and mixing together so much that he couldn't hear any of what was being said.

Hunk was sitting off to the side with his arms wrapped around himself and staring at the floor, crying. Pidge stood beside him, her face pale as a ghost and eyes wide. They were both trembling.

Keith's eyes searched for the source of the sound. Allura, Shiro, and Matt all stood crowded around something in the middle of the room. Allura was shouting orders at Coran, who appeared to be in the process of prepping a pod. She had her hand on something, and Keith could see pink sparks of energy surrounding her. Altean magic.

Matt looked absolutely panicked as he monitored a screen, shaking his head rapidly and typing as fast as his fingers could go. Shiro had his back turned to Keith, and along with Allura blocked Keith's view of whatever was on the table.

And Keith's blood ran cold.

_It's Lance._

He heard the words in Slav's voice, back when he said them what now seemed like ages ago.

And he must've shouted something out loud, but Keith couldn't hear his own voice over the rushing in his ears because _no, no, this wasn't happening, this wasn't real, and—_

Shiro turned, eyes wide. The entire front of his armor was covered in blood. His hands were pressed to Lance's abdomen, which was the apparent source. Allura had her own hands placed on Lance's chest, still pulsing with energy.

And Lance himself didn't stir, his eyes closed, his face void of any emotion. He looked strangely peaceful, and if it weren't for the blood, Keith could almost have believed he was sleeping.

Desperate to see anything, _anyone_ else at that moment, Keith tore his eyes away.

That's when Keith registered what Matt was looking at. A heart rate monitor.

It was just a straight line. The ongoing beep sounded like a scream, or maybe that was just Keith again. It probably was— his throat felt raw though he couldn't remember ever speaking.

Keith couldn't remember how he ended up on the ground either, but his legs had just given out from under him because the two world shattering facts crashed into him at once.

The person on the table was dead.

And that person was _Lance_.

Keith was shaking now. There were tears running down his cheeks, but he paid them no mind. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen, Keith wasn't supposed to let it happen at all, but—

He didn't even get to say _goodbye_.

And Keith couldn't help but blame himself, because he _knew_. He knew that chances were, Lance would do something stupid, and heroic, and get himself killed.

And he hadn't been enough to save him.

That's when it hit Keith. He hadn't solved _anything_ by leaving. In fact, he'd made it worse. Lance still saw himself as the weak link, but now he thought he was keeping Keith from a lion, too. And he thought that if he were to die, then Red could just go back to her original paladin. Lance thought they'd be able to go on without him.

God, he was such an _idiot_.

And then the line on Matt's screen jumped.

“He's got a pulse!” Shiro shouted. “Get him in a pod!” With Allura's help, this was soon accomplished. Everyone waited with bated breath for a moment while Coran sealed it, checked his vitals, and—

“He's stable. He's going to live.”

And Keith _sobbed_.

Everyone else had only just seemed to realize that he was there, and he couldn't blame them. The second he saw Lance on that table, Keith's vision tunneled. The image was still there, too, every time he closed his eyes.

He could feel Shiro's hand on his shoulder, hear the comforting words. “It's okay, Keith. He's going to be okay.”

But it wasn't, of course it wasn't. Nothing was okay.

Even if Lance's chest now rose and fell every so often, even if Keith could see his breath fogging up the glass, hear the beeping that signified his heart beat, it almost didn't matter.

Because sitting there, Keith knew that there was a time and space in which Lance had lost just a little more blood, or the shot had hit him just an inch or two higher.

He knew that because of what'd just happened, now there was another reality that Lance McClain wasn't a part of. 

That was a reality that Keith didn't think he could live in.

But when he saw Hunk's happy tears, Pidge's shaky grin, it was impossible not to feel relieved.

Maybe, in an alternate universe, Lance was dead. But not in this universe. In _this_ reality, Keith still got to see those shining blue eyes and that impossibly bright smile every day.

That made _all_ the difference.

What was it Slav had said again? Simply that Lance's chances weren't good.

But Keith had never cared about probable outcomes. He could beat the odds any day of the week— he'd gotten through most of life doing so. And he'd do it to keep Lance safe.

There were other realities, universes, _worlds_ that Keith couldn't control, and... maybe that was okay, as long as he could save everyone in this reality.

Keith figured that was something he could do.

And if not... he'd die trying. He wasn't losing any of his family again.

* * *

 When Lance's pod opened, Keith was the one there to catch him. “Wha...?”

“You pushed Hunk out of the way,” Keith explained without being asked. “You nearly died.”

Lance's smile was sheepish. “But I didn't?”

Keith sighed, albeit fondly. “No, you didn't. But I can't leave you guys alone for ten minutes apparently, or all hell breaks loose.”

Lance stared at him in confusion for a moment, then looked down, observing Keith's red paladin armor. He grinned, eyes sparkling as he met Keith's gaze. “Does this mean you're staying?”

“Yeah, I'm staying,” Keith said, and the words felt like _home_. “I'm not going anywhere.” _And neither are you._

 


End file.
